Assorting and sizing apparatus.



B. W. JOHNSON.

ASSORTING AND SIZINGy APPARATUS. APPLIUATION Hum JULY a. i907.

932,783. Patented Aug. 31,1909.

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E W JOHNSON ASSORTING AND SIZING APPARATUS.

APPLmATxoN FILED JULY s. 1907.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.w

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EDWINWQJOHNSON, or EAST rALATxA, FLORIDA.

."Assorvrnvc.` AND sizING APPARATUS.

`Speciatgill of' Letters Patent. .y .l Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

Application led July 3, 1907.` I' SerialvNo. 382,063.

To all whomV it may concern: j Be it known that I, EDWIN W. J oriNsoN,

citizen of the United States of Americane-V siding at East Palatka,inthe county of Putnam and State of Florida, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Assorting and Sizing Apparatus, ofwhich thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein tothe'acco'mpanying drawing. Y

The object of my invention is to produce an apparatus for automaticallyassorting articles and things according to their sizes;

for example, grape fruit, oranges, apples, and other things, whethernatural or artificial.

In the drawings illustrating the principle of my invention, and the bestmode nowl of the main frame being higher than .its

other end; 1, 1 are a pair of endpostsat the higher end of the mainframe, and 1a, laare a pair of end posts atthe lower-endloftheapparatus. VEnd posts 1, 1`(Fig. 3) are cong nected by across-bar y15below the `upper ends of the posts 1. On `the upper edge of cross-bar 15there is mounted Ia slide-stop 16 having a lengthwise slot 17 formed-init and provided with an upwardly extending lug 18 at one of its ends. Aset-screw` 19, through cross-bar 15, passes through slot 17, and isprovided with a nut 20 whereby the adjustable stop 16 may be mounted inany desired position on the upper edge of crossbar 15. A diagonalguide-support 21 reaches from one of the legs 1 to the crossbar 15, anda guide 6, hereinafter referred to, is supported on its under side onsupport 21, the lower edge ofthe guide 6 abutting against the projectiony18 ofthe adjustable stop 16. The guide' is conveniently formed with acleat 22 on its under surface, the `cleat directly resting on support21; but this is a matter of immaterial detail, the point being tosupport the guide 6, the innerV surface of which is flat, in Va slantingposition with reference Yto a vertical plane extending lengthwise of andthrough the main frame A. The posts l 'are'also connected, at theirupper ends, by a cross-bar 23 (Fig. 3), on which the bearing 3 of theshaft of screwconveyer 2 ismounted. i

Posts la, 11l areshorter than the posts 1, which are respectivelyconnected together by the lower, side cross-bars 241, each pair ofVposts being preferably connected at the opposite ends of frame A bycross-bars 25. Posts 1, land 1a, 1L are also preferably connected by theupper, side cross-bars 24a, 24a; and the shorter endl posts la, 1a areconnected transversely by a cross-bar 26, provided on its upper surfacewith a sliding adjustable ,stop-16a, in all respects .the same inconstruction` and mode of operation as the adjustable stop 16 on thelcross-bar 15, which is higher than the cross-bar 26, the edge 7 of theguide 6 also resting against this adjustable stop. Hence, guide 6,'while slanting with referenceto said vertical plane, also slantsdownwardly, from its connection with posts 1 `and the cross-barV 15 toits connection with the posts 1a and their cross-bar 26. Posts 1a. areconnected` by a cross-bar 27, which is lower than the cross-bar 23 andwhich supports the bearing-3at for the lower end of the shaft ofscrew-'conveyer 2. This lower end of said shaft is preferably providedwith a handle 4, while the higher end of the apparatus is provided witha suitable hopper 8 for receving fruit or other objects to be assorted`accordmg to slze.

The guide 6 and the screw-conveyer 2 are in line one with another, andthe convolutionsv 5 of, ,thev screw-conveyer have their edges andalternating spaces opposed to the inner side of the guide 6; and thearticles to be assorted are conveyed from the hopper,

.which is inclined from end to end so as to the opposed surfaces of theguide and screwconveyer at one end thereof than at the other,

so that fruit or other objects of varying size may drop through thespaces 9, between the convolutions of the screw-conveyer and the upperedge of the guide, into bins or chutes 11, below the lower edge of theguide 65 the upper edge of which is suliioiently ele vated to be opposedto the SereW-CQnVeyer, so that the two form a sort of open-bottomedtrough, one side of Whiohis formed by the adjustable guide 6 andthe'other side of( which is formed by the screw-.conveyer.

in Fig. 3,' vthe adjustable connection ofthe Yhigher end of guide 6 withthe adjustable lable sto j 16*1 Vbein shown in -FiOzY 5.

A 7 Y C b What I Claim is;

In fruitassortlng andvslzlng apparatus,

v; Vthe combination of an inclined screw-con Veyer with an adjustableguide extendmg 'guide extending under the screw-conveyer along thelength thereof and `being at a distance therefrom to form anunder-discharge;

and adjustable stops by which the lower edge of the guide is j,adjustably maintained 1n working posit-ion.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

` EDVIN lV. JOHNSON.

Titnesses EDWARD S. BEACH, CHAs. MCC. CHAPMAN.'

